As the first quarter’s urgency and festivities fade, we have now slipped into a slower, more repetitive rhythm, the kind where days blur into what will be known as the rest of the year. As the daily routine starts to hum a bit too loudly, these are the tracks to cut through that everyday drone. April leans heavily towards the local; there’s real movement in the underground right now, with a new wave of artists shaping what comes next. Alongside that, Thundercat’s acid jazz leanings, gener8ion and Yung Lean, and Malcolm Todd’s comments on masculinity round out the mix. Here are 10 of the month’s best.
Jinson makes his music debut with a melancholic first single. Turning the lens onto himself after years spent capturing artists on stage, the track draws from personal heartbreak, with traces of LANY in its emotional pull and melodic tone. The release marks the start of a wider run of projects leading up to his debut album, Alonica. Its accompanying music video takes cues from Charlie Chaplin-esque silent films, leaning into a softer, more expressive kind of storytelling.
The hitmakers behind Counting Stars, OneRepublic, return with a new single, Need Your Love, for their upcoming seventh studio album. The track highlights the theme of choosing love over material wealth with a modern twist on nostalgic pop music. The mix of synths layers well with a controlled mid-tempo beat, putting the melody in focus, with production by Ryan Tedder and lyrics by James Essien alongside David Kushner. After it was first teased by Tedder on social media, the track made its live debut in 2025 before staying in rotation through their 2026 shows.
Stephen Lee Bruner, better known as Thundercat, slips back into focus with his fifth studio album. It explores overstimulation, relationships, and self-awareness, centred on a fusion of funk, jazz, R&B, and psychedelic soul. This album serves as a long-awaited follow-up to It Is What It Is, in which Thundercat expands his collaborative universe, featuring artists such as Tame Impala, Lil Yachty, A$AP Rocky, as well as a posthumous appearance from Mac Miller.
Bang Yedam returns with Antidote, continuing his run under the Dimo Rex alter ego. The project leans further into a darker, more sensual, and grittier sound, centring on genres like alternative R&B, with touches of hip-hop, house, and electronic elements. Though traces of K-pop remain, the eight-track album reflects on themes of identity, desire, and transformation shaped by Yedam’s journey beyond idolhood. The South Korean singer performed SAY MY NAME live, backed by a band on a pink-lit stage. He appeared more mature, both sonically and physically, catching fans off guard with a grown-out moustache, glasses, and longer hair.
You wish they’d run back to you, but they don’t. Fex, a local Sabahan artist, channels that feeling into this slow-burning indie-pop track. With the title landing like an emotional reflex, RUN BACK TO ME circles a breakup that never fully resolves. Following earlier tracks such as ICARUS FELL and cigarettes, the singer-songwriter and producer turns to a dramatic chorus, letting relatable, honest lyrics do most of the heavy lifting. Fex is known for his R&B-leaning, contemporary sound and has amassed over 100,000 streams across all digital platforms.
Zayn Malik steps into his fifth studio album, inspired by South Indian konnakol traditions. It replaces a traditional melodic hook with layered vocal syllables and timed rhythmic patterns. The English singer shifts away from his earlier pop-R&B sound, making his voice the main instrument. The project features production by Malay, who previously worked on Malik’s 2016 solo debut, reuniting the pair after nearly a decade. Following the lead singles Die for Me and Sideways, it continues his move toward a more experimental, voice-centred style of production.
Coming off a standout debut at Astro’s ‘Astro Star Quest 2025’, independent local artist Song Ning returns with a new single ahead of Mother’s Day. The track plays like a love letter to her mother, and by extension, all mothers. Built on an upbeat, uplifting production, it balances emotional lyricism with a bright sonic palette, avoiding heavy sentimentality and leaving listeners feeling warm. It also samples the classic Chinese nursery rhyme 世上只有妈妈好 (roughly meaning “Mothers are the best in the world”), reframing something familiar into a more personal, contemporary tune.
Alex Pall and Drew Taggart, better known as The Chainsmokers, find their way back to 2016, when we used to listen to Roses and Closer religiously. Their latest project, Already Know, centres on club energy, trading 4x4 drums and heavy drops for atmosphere and vocal-led storytelling. After Hope was released in 2018, the electronic duo reunited with Oaks for this new collaboration. It hints at a more cohesive direction for their upcoming five-track EP Love Is Kind, built around the Swedish singer-songwriter's vocal presence.
After Sweet Boy went viral, American singer-songwriter, Malcolm Todd, brought another hit with I Saw Your Face for his upcoming album Do That Again. The track captures the quiet awkwardness of running into an ex in public; still longing for them, but lacking the courage to say anything. Carried by fragile vocals and soft guitar lines, it fits the days where you just want to reminisce the past. The track is produced by the artist himself, Jonah Cochran, Matthew Casterllanos, and Blake Slatkin, shaping its soft, indie-pop sound.
GENER8ION, the electronic project of French DJ and producer Surkin, delivers an impactful collaboration with Yung Lean titled STORM. The music video comes across more like a short film, with two split, contrasting halves of STORM I and STORM II. The music video, paired with Yung Lean’s signature raw, emotional and sometimes off tune vocals, shifts between tense, almost uncomfortable energy in Part I and more euphoric, open movement in Part II. With cinematic mastermind, Romain Gavras behind the lens, the French filmmaker wrapped up and delivered the final outcome with a bow.
Esquire Malaysia
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